“He is a hacker and has the system connected to your Facebook account. If one of your contacts accepts it, you will also be hacked, so make sure that all your friends know it. Thanks. Forwarded as received.”

The message has been spreading worldwide and has led to some people taking the precaution of warning their friends, including here in New Zealand.

But accepting a request from a stranger on Facebook cannot lead to hackers gaining access to your computer or online accounts.

Users would need to hand over personal information such as passwords and usernames, or download a file containing a virus, for a security breach to occur on their computer.

Various tech and hoax-related sites have also debunked the idea.
While some may have taken the warnings on board, others took a more light-hearted approach, asking whether US President Donald Trump will use the mysterious Jayden K Smith as a scapegoat.
Either way, if you receive a friend request from Jayden, accept him (at your own risk), because you never know; he might be a nice guy.